Saturday, May 26, 2012

Coz We Got High: A Weekend Getaway to Mt. Gulugod Baboy

Disclaimer: This was the first time I dared to organize and invited my friends for a fun climb. It was the first time I was able to turn my dream to share the beauty I see into a reality.

To celebrate the birthday of the two special people in our group, me and my friends decided to go somewhere all of us haven't been before. (Special thanks to our Boss who had been cool enough to approve all our VL requests. Woohoo!!!)

Mt. Gulugod Baboy or Mt. Pinagbanderahan is located at Mabini, Batangas and is considered a minor climb with difficulty of 2/9. Gulugod Baboy means 'pig's spine'; obviously, it has been named as such because of the contours and wide suface of the hills.

Gulugod Baboy had been popular for beginners and had been the top choice for fun climbs since it doesn't require much mountaineering/hiking experience.

How to Get There:by private transpo
In Buendia, hire a van to take you to the Jump-Off Point (yes, at the jump-off point itself not just at Philpan Dive Resort). Rate is at Php3500/one way all-in (inclusive of gas, driver and toll fees).

by public transpo
In Buendia, take a bus to Diversion usual rate is Php167. But you can haggle with Mamang Konduktor, they can give it for Php125.00. The bus got wi-fi connection, anyways. :)

From Diversion, take a jeepney to Anilao for Php32.00. From Anilao, you can either ride a jeepney to Philpan for Php16.00 or hire a tricycle for Php85.00 good for 3 pax.

It's the Climb!
All of my friends are first-time hikers/climbers except for one who's an experienced mountaineer. I let him led the climb while I stayed at the back so I can see everyone. For 2 weeks, I have been assuring my friends how easy it would be. However, everyone was surprised for the fast assault our lead made and I started to hear my friends catching for their breaths. Afraid to lose the excitement and smiles on my friends' faces, I requested for a stop and reminded everyone that it's okay to rest and just enjoy the climb itself.

This is "Talampunay Tree". To be honest, I thought it was the condom tree I usually see in Tagaytay and Baguio. But locals here in Philpan, clearly explained to us what these flowers are and the dangers they can bring.

In traditional medicine, Talampunay Flower has believed to cure asthma when rolled and smoked as a cigarette. However, recent studies and happenings show that Talampunay Flower, if boiled, the juice extract can cause death if drank. If luckily, one survived death, it can give one hallucinations.

The locals shared stories about the terrors of Talampunay; and yes, they're quite scary.

After half an hour or so, we decided to continue the hike. Seemed like the dozen halo-halo and bottles of coke we consumed got some magic powers; everybody had been refueled with energy and the next hour came too fast - the climb became easier. It didn't take a while, "Wooow!, "Waaaah!", and other expressions of amazement filled the air as everybody reached the top.

photo by Nico ToledoThis was what we immediately did after reaching the top. JUMPSHOT. :)Me and Ian, obviously our smiles say one thing - it's worth it.

Everyone did enjoy the sunset too - the different feeling of witnessing the sun set from a different perspective is just soooo overwhelming, you wanna melt in gratefulness.

photo by Nico ToledoAhhm... Excuse Me? Ang Cheesy! :D

While enjoying the magnificent view at the top of Gulugod, we hurriedly pitched our tents before it got darker. Unfortunately-fortunately-or-something-in-between, we forgot to check if we were able to bring the pegs. Good thing, Ian came to the rescue and showcased his SURVIVOR-like skills.

Tsararan! Achieve!

Yey! Let's Party Parteey!!!Good Morning Mt. Gulugod!!! :)
We woke up at around 4 am and enjoyed the semi-solitary moment while the other campers were still dreaming and having their loudest-snore-competition-2012. We took advantage of it and had our weewee galore somewhere there in the dark.

At past 5am, we started trekking up to the highest peak on Mt. Gulugod to catch the sunrise.

And yes, it was beautiful. You can see how the sun slowly lit up that part of the mountain. Galing!

Gulugod baboy is so special to me. This is where my passion for the outdoors started. this is also where my mountaineering group were formed... thanks for sharing your experience... na-miss ko ang bundok na ito... :)

@ WANDER SHUGAH,thank you... yes, the sunset at Mt Gulugod is very astounding! As in automatically, everyone just stopped from pitching the tents and stared at the beautiful sunset. Then, unconsciously everyone was like whispering "Here comes the sun.. chooroodoodoo" Superb experience!